Box Score COLUMBUS - The second-seeded Columbus State women's soccer team made a statement in the opening round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament defeating Lander 5-0 Tuesday afternoon at the Walden Soccer Complex. The Lady Cougars improve to 17-1-1 on the year while Lander drops to 10-7-1. CSU will now face-off against the winner of the UNC Pembroke/Montevallo game being played tonight.
Although Lander came out trying to slow the game down and make it a defensive battle, the Lady Cougars pounced on them early as Stephanie Parrish scored 5:59 into the contest. Leslie Mathews started the play up the right wing and beat two defenders at the corner of the 18-yard box. The senior then slid the ball across to Parrish inside the penalty box and beat the keeper for the early 1-0.
The offensive fireworks kept on coming as K.C. MacEachern and Kate Walton each netted a goal in the 11th and 18th minute respectively. Stephanie Lowery beat two players similarly to Mathew's and found MacEachern at the top of the 18-yard box. The forward hooked a left-footed shot to the right post past the diving Katherine Baltz. MacEachern then assisted on Walton's goal seven minutes later as she laid off the ball and Walton hit a blast from 35-yards out near the left upper-ninety.
CSU took away any ideas Lander might have had of a second-half comeback as they scored their fourth goal just three minutes and thirty-three seconds into the half. Catherine Lovin won the ball in the midfield dribbling pass a defender towards the right corner flag. She then made a pass across the grain to Lowery in the left side of the penalty area and Lowery deposited the ball in the back net for her team leading 17th goal of the year. The senior combination of Mathews and MacEachern hooked up for the final tally of the game. MacEachern ran onto a ball up the left side taking a few dribbles setting up the defender so she could slip a ball across to a streaking Mathews who buried home her second goal of the year.
The Columbus State defense did a tremendous job limiting Lander to nine shots although none of them were threatening. Willi Babillis upped her mark to 9-0-1 on the year playing the first 45 minutes while making three saves. Mary Mancin came in and kept the blank sheet also picking up three saves. Baltz played the full contest for the Bearcats denying three of the eight CSU goals on net. This is the first game all year CSU did not register a corner kick or have an edge in corner kicks as Lander took all five corner kicks in the game.
Several players made some moves up the record books as Lowery now stands in a tie for second on the CSU single-season list with 17 goals. She also took second place on the single-season points list at CSU with 39. The junior is also sixth and eighth in the career rankings for goals and points, respectively. Parrish increased her all-time total in goals to 55 and also points to 129. The 129 points puts her in tie for fourth place in the PBC record books with Katie Roberts of Francis Marion. Mathews now leads the team with seven assists, the fourth best single-season total at CSU. She also is tied for sixth on the career list with 14.
The Lady Cougars return to the pitch on Friday, November 5 in a semifinal contest in the PBC Tournament. CSU defeated both potential opponents, besting UNC Pembroke early in the season 1-0 and downing Montevallo 4-2 last week. The games will be played at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, GA. In the other semifinal matchup, Armstrong Atlantic will take on the winner of the North Georgia/Georgia College contest. Both matches are set to kickoff at 5:00 p.m.
